GARETH BARRY has been left to sweat on his future, after Aston Villa boss Martin O'Neill fined him £84,000 and ordered him to stay away from training.

To rub salt into the wound, the Reds target only learned of his punishment by reading Aston Villa’s website which carried a statement from the Villa boss.

A letter was later delivered to the player’s home banning him indefinitely from training and all club facilities.

O’Neill decided to act after Barry gave an interview to a Sunday newspaper outlining his frustration at the Villa chief’s behaviour this summer.

He complained about O’Neill having time to talk to the nation on BBC about Euro 2008 but not to him about his future.

O’Neill said: “Gareth will not be returning to training tomorrow and he has been disciplined after giving an unauthorised interview to the News of the World.”

Barry must sit and sweat now as Villa head off to Switzerland next week for a training camp. Villa claim they knocked back another Liverpool bid on Tuesday, way below their £18m valuation.

The Reds are unlikely to pay more than £15m, leaving the player in the middle of an increasingly acrimonious wrangle.

O’Neill knows he can’t afford to let his prize asset kick his heels at home while Villa are still paying him more than £40,000 a week, but is determined to prise as much money as he can out of Liverpool.

With Rafa Benitez juggling his finances in order to fund other signings, he is equally determined that the Reds will not be held to ransom.

Villa’s rationale is that Barry is worth as much as Michael Carrick and Owen Hargreaves, who Manchester United bought for £18.6m and £17m respectively.

Liverpool, however, point out that Javier Mascherano cost them £18m, and he is three years Barry’s junior.

Mascherano has been formally named in Argentina’s 18-man squad for the Olympics and leaving the Reds short of midfield cover. He will miss the opening fixtures against Sunderland and Middlesbrough and the Champions League qualifiers on August 12/13 and 26/27.

Argentina face Ivory Coast on August 7, Australia on August 10 and Serbia on the 13th, with progress from their group taking them into the knockout stages. The final Gold medal match is on August 23rd – the day Liverpool entertain Middlesbrough.

Ironically Mascherano is likely to be available for the first time againstVilla on August 30. Brazilian midfielder Lucas Leiva is expected to be in their squad, adding to Benitez’s problems – especially if Xabi Alonso completes his move to Juventus.